Roland Petrov
I was born in Cambridge, England, and went to primary school in Berkshire. My father’s a farmer, and got the opportunity to run a large wheat farm in Ethiopia, so that’s where I went to junior high school.
A student riot became the catalyst for my attending high school in Beirut, Lebanon.
During this time my family emigrated to the U.S., so I ended up attending college in San Diego, California.
After that, I became an English teacher and taught in Bolivia, Honduras, Japan, and California. With the economic downturn, I lost my job in California, and so I went to Panama and opened up a pizzeria on the beach.
On a visit back to the U.S., my sister, Christine Niemann, suggested that I visit her in Seattle as she had her eye on a business opportunity. In May of this year we took a sightseeing trip to Whidbey Island and fell in love with it. When we found our first location, with its grand fireplace and garden complete with fishpond, that sealed the deal. Presently, we are located in the Coupeville Natural store across from Whidbey Island Bank.
During my many travels I accumulated, among other things, a wealth of information on tea; hence a tea store. My goal is to bring a world of tea to my customers by offering exotic tea and tea products from around the world.